Shock results continue at Wuhan Open as Maria Sharapova crashes out

Switzerland's Timea Bacsinszky beat Maria Sharapova on Wednesday to reach the Wuhan Open quarter-finals, adding the Russian to a growing list of big-name exits at the star-studded event.

Maria Sharapova reacts after her loss to Timea Bacsinszky on Wednesday at the WTA Wuhan Open in China. Greg Baker / AFP / September 24, 2014

Fourth seed Maria Sharapova crashed out of the WTA Wuhan Open in two sets Wednesday, while world No 8 Angelique Kerber crushed her opponent to make the quarter-finals.

Sharapova was defeated by Timea Bacsinszky in a tight game, losing the first set at the tie break and the second 7-5 – a result which broke the hearts of the local crowd who were supporting the Russian world No 4.

“There were a lot of, you know, times in the match where I did everything right for the first few balls and then didn’t execute in the points,” Sharapova said.

“I think I always allowed her to get another ball back and to make me play another ball.

“Then obviously that didn’t help me, because I was making more mistakes.”

The tournament has already suffered the loss of a string of seeds, including world No 1 Serena Williams, and local hero Li Na announced her retirement days before it started.

Simona Halep, Ana Ivanovic, Dominika Cibulkova and Agnieszka Radwanska are among the others to make their exit already, as well.

Switzerland’s Bacsinszky will go on to play either Casey Dellacqua of Australia or Denmark’s world No 8 Caroline Wozniacki in the quarter-finals.

Kerber, the seventh seed in Wuhan, lost only two games in her match with Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova of the Czech Republic, winning 6-1, 6-1.

“I played a very good match. It was tough, because Barbora is a great player and she played very well,” Kerber said.

“I’m happy about my performance today.”

French players Caroline Garcia and Alize Cornet also made it through to the quarter-finals.

Cornet took the first set against Belgian Kirsten Flipkens at the tie-break before she was given a shock in the second, in which she won only one game.

But the world No 22 appeared more dominant in the third set, finally sealing victory with a scoreline of 7-6 (7/4), 1-6, 6-3.

“I think that Kirsten played much better in the second set,” Cornet said.

“Already at the end of the first set she was playing better, and it was good that I took this first set.”

Cornet described the final games of the match as a “huge fight”, adding: “I was just fighting and trying my best. At the end it worked out.”

Garcia continued her fine run at Wuhan with victory over Coco Vandeweghe.

The 20-year-old rising star, who claimed a victory over world No 6 Radwanska in the second round, defeated the American 6-3, 6-2 to make it through to the quarter-finals.

But it was a sad day for Spaniard Garbine Muguruza, another 20-year-old who performed heroics in the second round, after she withdraw from her third-round match with gastritis before a ball was hit.

Muguruza had defeated second seeded Halep.

Her opponent, Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, will meet Kerber in the quarters.

The Wuhan Open in the central province of Hubei features the world’s top 20 women players and reaches its climax on Saturday.

Among the remaining seeds are Canadian Eugenie Bouchard (6) and Petra Kvitova (3). Wimbledon winner Kvitova got by Karolina Pliskova with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 win.

Cornet will face Bouchard if she wins, while Garcia will meet Kvitova in the quarters.

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